According to Rikkai
by Infinite Sapphire
Summary: There are winners and there are losers in this world. Fate is a fickle thing; it can change sides anytime and turn a winner into a loser, vice-versa. Rikkai is no exception to its dangerous game. [Mentions: OCs, OCxCanon] [CHPT. 3: "If you didn't sign your name there, then who…?"]
1. Behind the White Starting Line

**AUTHOR'S NOTE(S):**

So, this is my first fanfiction.

Now I know that OC fics tend to be crappy as hell. I would be lying if I say that I have never ditch fanfictions with OCs that are…quite bad, for the lack of proper wording. But I would like to ask a favour to those who read this to give this fic a chance up until Chapter 4. After that, if my story isn't your cup of tea, you guys are free to decide whether to stay or ditch it.  
I would also like to apologize for any grammar mistakes, especially if you guys have some sort of ability to notice passive voice sentences because there's hella lot here. English isn't my mother tongue, so yeah…I did my best.

I don't own Prince of Tennis, because if I do, it would have a different fate right now. Enjoy!

* * *

Yukimura Seiichi wasn't a person who would be taken by surprise so easily. Instead, it was the other way around.

He would take his opponents by surprise while hiding his gentle appearances off-court, which did not prepare them for his ability to take away their five senses. He had surprised many by surviving a surgery that had 50% chance of survival. There was only one time when he was the one who had been caught off-balance; Singles 1 in the Nationals a couple of years ago, where he had his first loss against Seigaku's ace.

No doubt that it was common for him to not be in a state of surprise when he and his vice-captain were called to the principal's office. The blue-haired captain had been accustomed to catch the attention of other students, stopping them with whatever they were doing earlier to stare at him. But today, he noticed that instead of their usual gleam of admiration, other students were staring at them quizzically today. He merely gave them a small smile back, for he knew what they were all thinking.

' _What have the infamous Child of God done to be called to the principal's office?'_

He was lying if he didn't admit that the said question was also dwelling in his mind.

 **~XoX~**

"You want me to be the girls' team captain?"

"Not just 'be the captain', Kagurazaka-san," Eri took note on how the principal emphasizing the word 'be'. "We want you to be someone who can lead the team to the Nationals. You know the reason why we chose you, don't you?"

She let out an exasperated sigh. "This isn't a decision where I get to choose my answer, is it?"

"I'm afraid not."

"So…why now?" Principal Furuya pushed up his glasses and opened one of his desk's drawers. He handed a file to the blonde senior student.

"Apparently, we've found out that last year's champions for Kanagawa preliminaries, Kanto regionals and the Nationals for girls' tennis teams are gaining more attention."  
Eri's electric blue eyes scanned the files disinterestedly. Cuttings of newspaper and Tennis Monthly's articles showing St. Elisabetta, an all-girls academy that won last season's Kanagawa preliminaries. There were also cut-outs of Fudomine's girls' team, champions of last year's Kanto Regionals, and Nagoya Seitoku. The team that consist of mostly transfer students from all corners of the globe had once again dominated the Nationals. Eri wasn't surprised, as the one who had leaded them had nearly threatened to ruin on what she had today.

"By attention, the principal meant that their schools are gaining more applications, more sponsors for funds and more media-coverage, making them more well-known among students in and outside of Japan." Both of them turned towards the door.

"Ah…Yuzuki."

"Yukimura-san and Sanada-san are here." To Eri, the recently-arrived sophomore was like a retro pin-up model with her black hair that was dyed into blonde in an ombre style and curled. It was hard for Eri to look at her and think that she was someone ordinary with her appearances. Yuzuki's light brown eyes were soft-looking as they were round-shaped, yet she carries herself around with an air of silent regency every time she moves.

"Thank you, Yuzuki, I appreciate the help." Principal Furuya said. Right after Yuzuki had given a small nod as a response, her eyes focused on Eri, as if it was to tell her to accept the offer, before turning to leave the office. The blue-eyed girl soon found herself sitting between her former and current classmates.

"Kagurazaka-san," She gave a nod towards the two of them, as a sign of acknowledgement. The elderly principal cleared his throat and said, "Now that the two are here, let's get straight to the point, shall we?"

That made the blonde-haired girl to silently hold her breath. Sanada nodded in agreement.

"I want Yukimura-kun and his team to help out with the try-outs."

 **~XoX~**

"Ne, ne, Yuzu-chan! What happened? What happened? Tell us!"  
"Why did the principal wanted to see Yukimura-kun?!"  
"Come on, tell us! We're your classmates! Just spill the beans!"

Yuzuki inwardly sighed and thought how God had cursed her with such a fate. It's not that she hated being the principal's granddaughter, nothing wrong with that, but the downsides that came along with it. _**That**_ ticks her off. Every time a popular male student was called to the principal's office and the brown-eyed sophomore was in charge to escort them, she would have her gossipers of classmates swarming around her like bees with honey as soon as she stepped back into the classroom. They wouldn't go away until they get what they wanted.

She should have chosen to stay at Hyotei indeed. That's what her mother would say.

"Ladies, ladies…calm down, OK? Calm down!" she exclaimed. Unfortunately, that didn't work. "OK, fine! I'll tell you! Jesus… there's going to be a girls' tennis team and the boys team will need to help around with the try-outs. By need to help, I meant by the principal-!"

Fortunately for her, Yuzuki had braced for the high-pitched squeals and screams that cut her off in mid-sentence. She still winced at the sound though. It wasn't long until the news had spread around the classroom. The girl bet that by the end of the day, the entire student body of Rikkai High would be talking about signing up. The sound of her classmates stating their wishes to join the try-outs drowned out as her brown eyes turned to the rows of seat nearby the window.

'I wonder if she's going for it.'

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

And that concludes Chapter 1. I haven't introduced all of the OCs yet, but they'll appear very soon! This chapter's pretty short but I hope you've enjoyed reading it!

I would like to say that this fic is heavily inspired by **fyerigurl** and **Descending Rainfall**. I'm not trying to copy or plagiarize them or anything in that sort of way, I assure you that. If there are any aspects that you feel like I'm plagiarizing from them or if it looks like it had too many similarities, just let me know and I'll try to change/modify them.  
I'm sure a lot of you have read fyerigurl's fanfiction before and if you haven't, you need and should go check **To Catch a Falling Star** right now because it is awesome and gives you emotional baggage. You should also check out Descending Rainfall's **All Your What Ifs** (Shitenhouji OC Fic) and **From Sky High** (Hyotei OC Fic). From Sky High just blows my brains so many times, it's amazing.

Please leave a review to tell me what you think of the fic so far (What should I put, any ideas that I can write on etc.) Feedbacks and reviews makes me a happy writer~

 _ **-Lots of Love, Mori.**_


	2. Madness for Tennis

**DISCLAIMER:**

I don't own the physic-defying tennis anime-manga, Prince of Tennis, as that is rightfully belonged to Konomi Takeshi-sensei. Enjoy!

* * *

Eri is a morning person with only one condition, and that was if she got a proper amount of good night sleep.

Eight hours had been just enough, but it wouldn't hurt to have another extra two hours. Still, with her recent agreement with the principal to form a girls' tennis team with supports from the boys', the platinum blonde-haired girl had little time for her own benefits and noticed that the amount of sleep she's getting were decreasing very quickly. Just two nights ago, she had finally finished all the needed papers that were to be given to the principal for signings at the early hours of 4 am. That had only given her 2 hours of sleep before getting up for school.

Those who saw her walking to the school in a completely dishevelled state must have thought that there must be a powerful deity watching over her on that breezy Friday morning. Because it had looked like her soul had partially escaped and yet she kept on running to Rikkai as fast as she could.

The torment had partially ended when Yuzuki came during lunchtime and gave her the signed papers. When Eri had laid her eyes on the signed papers, she snatched it up and took one good look at it with eyes resembling a madman's. The principal's granddaughter nearly had a heart attack when it had happened. All that was left to do is put up the sign-up posters and forms, and her job is done.

Or at least, that's what she thinks.

 **~XoX~**

"What do you mean it's already 7:30?!" The girl shrieked, clumsily stumbling out of her bed. Once again, she had unconsciously dozed off last night and, also just like before, had forgotten to set her alarm clock. By the time she had woken up, with the help of her mother, she was thirty minutes late from her appointed time with Yuzuki, whom she had agreed to meet up yesterday in a drowsy state of mind. Ignoring the uncomfortable pounding of her muscles and her head, Eri hastily had done her morning routine. Within ten minutes, she had already donned her uniform and found herself dashing down the stairs as quickly as her sleepy state could.

"What about breakfast?" Kagurazaka Reiko asked, holding up a plate of fresh hot cakes. For a few seconds, Eri hesitated and looked at the delicacy with yearning eyes, before quickly turning to her father's grandfather clock. Only 20 minutes until the bell rings. It didn't help for the fact that her stomach was doing the cliché drum roll sound, as if to announce the arrival of food into her stomach. At that moment, her decision-making skills were not at their usual level.

"You know what," Reiko said, giving her daughter a smile that had eased the girl's panicking soul. "I'll save these for you."

If it weren't for her extremely tired state of mind and body, Eri would have jumped to her feet and hooked her arms around her mother's neck. All she could do now with leftover energy was the latter in a gentle yet grateful manner.

"Thanks Mom," the third-year student exclaimed, pecking both sides of Reiko's cheek. "Love you!"

"Good luck with the tennis team, dear!" She heard the elderly woman exclaimed as she put on her shoes and dashed out of the door, slamming it close behind her. It wasn't long until she had dashed out of her house's compound and turned to the nearest corner, receiving the second surprise on that morning. It had made her exclaimed 'Blyad!' out loud and quick before Eri could realize it. Had any other who were capable of conversing in Russian be in her perimeters, they would have given the blonde-haired girl a look of disapproval for her language. Her alarmed blue eyes met with a familiar pair of brown-coloured ones, causing her to stop on her tracks.

"F-Furuya-chan…"

"You're late, senpai." Although Yuzuki's tone when she said it might sound venomous and rude to others, the taller girl didn't feel offended at all. Her lowerclassman was stating the obvious after-all. Plus she's too busy feeling baffled and looking like a fish out of water.

"How did you know where I live?"

Sighing, the retro model-looking sophomore crossed her arms and gave her a peeved look. "Who are you talking to again, Eri-senpai?"

The feeling of realization had once again slapped the captain-to-be in the face hard that morning. "Now come on. The two of us are going to be late if we don't make a move now."

Well, this is quite embarrassing situation she had brought herself into. Not only had she missed an appointment with the principal's granddaughter, but the senior had also forgotten who the ombre-haired girl was. It made the air between them felt heavy and awkward. The platinum blonde-haired girl was on the verge of bashing her head at the nearest streetlight pole. Maybe that will make the discomfort go away a little.

"Hey, Furuya-chan," The girl turned around. "What about the sign-up posters?" Eri asked as she was unable to pick any other topic to break the uncomfortable silence between them.

"I've already told Yukimura-san and his team to take care of those," Yuzuki replied. "By now, I'm guessing that there might be a name or two on the sign-up form."

And then silence came back. The only difference is that it wasn't a tense one, but instead it was the opposite. The brown-eyed girl guessed that her senior probably still felt a bit awkward and embarrassed about forgetting who Yuzuki was. But truth be told, she didn't mind it a bit. For once, someone forgot who she actually is and thought that she was just one of the normal students. It made her feel like as if she fits among the crowd of Rikkai students for a short moment. How wonderful if that sentiment could last forever.

 **~XoX~**

"Well," Jackal chuckled. "This is a lot more than I had expected."

His statement was clearly an understatement to the massive crowds of female students in front of the bulletin boards. All of them were struggling to write their names on the sign-up list. The Brazilian-Japanese male had put up those earlier with Marui putting the other set on another board on the same floor under Yukimura and the principal's granddaughter's orders. Her name slipped out of his mind at that moment, but he was pretty sure she's quite popular around the school. He remembered the countless of times both guys and girls whispered and silently acknowledging her presence as she passed by them.

"Of course, there would be quite a crowd here!" A certain redhead genius exclaimed. "Only forms that were put up by a genius like me will attract tons of attention!"

His Doubles partner could only chuckle in amusement in return. He had been around with Marui, both off and on the courts, for more than just a couple of years now. Of course, he'd be accustomed to this behaviour of his.

"Morning, Jackal-senpai." He heard someone greeting him over the sounds of girlish squeals, making him to turn towards the shoe lockers' area.

"Morning, Tachibana." Unlike the principal's granddaughter, Tachibana Mayu could be easily overlooked by others with her black-coloured hair and eyes with the colour of storm clouds. Not to mention that she could be easily lost in a sea of people with her tiny build. "Planning to sign up for the girls' team?"

"Oh yeah… it's today," The petite girl turned her attention towards the hectic crowds, recognizing some of her classmates within it. "I am planning to join it. Mako-chan too. By any chances, have you two…"

Her question trailed off, as Jackal sympathetically pointed upwards. The gray-eyed sophomore nodded silently, as a sign of thanking her senior, before dashing to the nearest set of staircases.

"She cares about Taiga a lot, doesn't she?" The dark-skinned male heard his Doubles partner said in a tone that he could consider as acknowledgement. He nodded in agreement to it.

"Yeah… they're both in-debt of each other after all."

 **~XoX~**

"There you are." Amber, feline-like eyes fell onto Mayu as she stood at the rooftop's door, looking out of breath. The beholder casually gave her a wave in return.

"Yo, Mayuyu." Taiga Makoto lives up to the pun of her surname. Her dyed-orange hair had streaks of the same colour of Mayu's hair. Plus, it was hard for most Rikkai students look and not have fear punching them in the guts when their eyes met her feral-looking ones. It makes them wonder, how on Earth did someone so mellow like Tachibana Mayu could be friends with the one and only ex-delinquent Tiger Mako? They definitely should put that as one of the many wonders of Rikkai.

"You don't have to worry about me skipping school, you know," the athletic-looking girl mumbled. Mayu was quick to notice her grumpy tone. Waking up in the wee hours of dawn isn't a thing for her classmate, but what could she do anyway? Her home had always been miles away from Rikkai. The gray-eyed girl was just amazed at the amount of patience she had to endure and restrain from committing physical violence.

"I know, but you weren't in class yesterday after lunch."

"I was just taking care of a few matters." That had struck panic and fear very quick into her mind. If there's anything that Mayu doesn't want to hear first thing in the morning, it's Makoto getting into trouble.

"Mako-chan!"

"Mayuyu, chill… I didn't cause any trouble. Nagao's class was just boring as hell, as per usual," the tall girl defensively exclaimed. "Even if there was a fight, you can forget about your suspicions about me being involved in it. I'm fully aware that this isn't Yoshizawa's place anymore."

"I'm just worried about you, alright? That's all," The dark-haired sophomore retorted after letting out a huge sigh of relief. She leaned on the wired-fence, causing it to creak a little. "You know that Ishii-san from class 3-B just got expelled after he beaten Adachi-senpai two days ago, right? Principal Furuya isn't like Principal Yoshizawa. If he thinks you're nothing but trouble, he'll expel you without second thoughts."

"Ishii is already trouble from his own Day 1. I'm sure of that." Makoto stared at her from the corner of her eyes. Ever since middle school, she knew how easily-sympathetic the girl is towards people, towards her mostly, even if the girl fails to show it. Reaching out one hand, her friend's well-kept locks were playfully ruffled.

"Don't worry about me, worry about the tennis sign-ups that's the talk of the week."

"Yeah…half of our class is signing up for it," Mayu chuckled, swatting her classmate's hand away before fixing her hair back to a proper state. She did have a point; almost every girl in their class, and quite possibly other classes too, had been talking about joining the tennis team. Mayu herself was no exception. The only ones who didn't express their wishes to join were the members of clubs that were absolutely time-consuming, like Yamazaki the student council's president who sat a few seats behind a certain seaweed-haired boy.

'This is our chance, Mayuyu,' she thought to herself, eyes of gray looking up to the firmaments above. 'Don't screw it up.'

 **~XoX~**

"And this is where the common area is. You can find those who aren't in clubs or organization hanging out around here. We have vending machines of drinks and snacks. Right next to it is the school's shop, where you can get all your stationary needs."

"Cool!" Yuzuki watched as the new student took a tour around the common area of the school. Hanazono Sofia, a girl with hair that reminds people of the clouds on stormy days, was her name. The principal's granddaughter was heading to his office to make sure that he had his medicine first thing in the morning and was later tasked to show her half-Greek new classmate around. She was an energetic one, Yuzuki once again thought, with eyes of lavender twinkling with childlike amazement during her tour around Rikkai.

"Tennis?" The brown-eyed sophomore heard as the girl skipped towards the bulletin board, her single fishtail braid bouncing along at every step. "There is going to be a tennis team sign-up?"

She nodded, but knew that the new student didn't see it. "Yes, it's pretty new. Are you interested in joining it, Hanazono-san?"

"Yeah! Of course! It's OK, is it?" The girl, whose hair had been dyed black at its ends, exclaimed, turning towards her 'tour guide'. The sophomore nodded again and watched as the new student took out a pen and signed her name with a big flourish. "Oh, and please, just call me Sofia, or Sofy! We're going to be classmates after all!"

When Yuzuki nodded again, it was a hesitated and nervous nod. Never once in her entire life had she encountered someone with such sunshine-like energy and ambience around them. Not to mention giving permission to go on a first name basis with a simpleton of a reason just like that. There was one person, however, that had the same manner as Sofia. But that person was like history, they existed in her past.

"Now then… shall we head to our classroom? First period is starting soon. Yamada-sensei doesn't tolerate lateness, just so you know."

"Waaah… r-really?! Let's go then!"

 **~XoX~**

"It's only been half a day and there are already five full pages of names," a certain platinum blonde-haired girl groaned. "That's not even half of Rikkai's female student body!"

"Well, you should have seen this coming, Ericchi. Look who's helping you out." Otani Aki answered with hands skilfully weaving a second braid out of her friend's locks. The brunette's dark brown-coloured eyes were focused on the twists and knots of the hairstyle that Eri had asked her to do. They suddenly fumbled around clumsily when the groaning captain-to-be leaned forward, forehead banging on her desk.

"Ugh, not to mention the squealing around this place isn't helping to stop this freaking headache."

"Hey, don't lean down too much," Eri welped when she had felt an unexpected tug from one of the braids. It had forced her to jerk her head up and resume to her previous sitting position. She heard the brunette behind her nervously giggled. "Sorry for the sudden tug, but my stubby-looking hands aren't long enough."

Bored of waiting for Aki to finish braiding, the blonde girl decided to randomly skim through one of the sign-up papers. Her eyebrows perked up with curiosity when a name just below her friend's caught her attention. "Miko-chan plays tennis? I didn't know that."

"There's a lot about Mii-chan that we both don't know, Ericchi."

What Aki had said made the exhausted girl to pause for a moment. Her friend was right; despite being classmates with the bespectacled hard-worker for almost years, she knew nothing more than just Ginoza Mikoto's basic information and the fact that she had been Aki's sister-in-law for 8 years. They can't blame themselves for it. Mikoto was like a rose; she guards herself with her own form of thorns.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"OK, done." Aki silently exclaimed, after carefully putting up the two braids over the blonde captain-to-be's head and making it look like she wore a crown of her own hair.

"Thanks, Aki," she thanked with a giggle. "I knew I can count on you to braid my hair whenever I look like that girl from the Ring in the morning."

"It's what I do best," her friend said, shrugging. "And please, Ericchi… the Ring ghost would have cried and ran back into the TV, never coming out again, if she ever saw you looking like her."

"What can I say? I'm not a stunner." For a while, it was just the two of them that shared a laugh. For just a small moment, the two were stuck in their own little world. It was quite fleeting. Because the next thing Eri knew, someone had decided to topple over her from behind. She quickly realized who they are, upon recognizing their dark and extremely curly hair that had tickled her cheeks.

"Ericchi~" Eyes with the colour of emerald clashed with her electric-like ones. Kirihara Asami held out a piece of paper that had been folded into two between her slender-looking fingers, dangling it in front of her blonde friend's sight. "Look, look! I found this in my shoe locker! Well, it's actually for you but read it!"

An amused 'oh' had escaped Eri's lips. Today had been quite an unpredictable day for her indeed. She thought that getting up later than usual, seeing huge crowds of students at every notice board that had the sign-up forms pasted on it and the enormous feedbacks for the sign-up from them were unpredictable. But now, there was also this; a piece of note placed in her shoe locker. Taking it the note from her classmate, she quickly opened it. The sight of the paper unfolded made her curly-haired friend to be fidgety on her feet.

"To Kagurazaka-san, we have something really important to tell/ask you about. Please meet us at the rooftop after school," the girl reads out loud. "I wonder who sent this. It has no names or signature."

Asami had gasped so dramatically that Eri just simply assumed she was faking it. "It's a love confession!"

The upbeat senior had definitely said that too loud, Aki was sure of it, because the next thing they knew, people were looking at them and started whispering to each other. By the time the blonde girl noticed it, she gave Asami a playful punch for her in the arm. The brunette would be lying if she said that she wasn't curious about who on Earth was interested in her best friend.

"I'm curious too," she said. "I wonder who it is that's interested in you."

"Well then," the amused girl said as the black-haired one snatched the small paper back and silently read it, getting more jumpy at each repeated turns she does so. "We'll just have to figure it out then."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

I couldn't sit my not-so-busy butt down and be calm without writing.

But yeah, more characters are introduced~ Mikoto was partially introduced, so you get the glimpse of what physically stands her out the most now. There are still a few more girls to go, so they'll be introduced in the next chapter.

Tell me who caught your attention the most so far. If you can, could you guys give me tips on how to make the character stand out from each other or what makes it easy for you guys to distinguish them from one another? Please and thank you!

Please leave a review about what you think of the fic so far.

 **Chapter 3 preview: Eri gets extra help.**

 _ **-Lots of Love, Mori.**_


	3. Tiny Little Gifts from Fate

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the crazy tennis anime-manga, Prince of Tennis, it rightfully belongs to Konomi Takeshi-sensei. Enjoy!**

A special thanks to the first follower of this story, **jjvgf1999**! The email I received about your follow for this story pumped me up. Since college is starting, I might start updating once in two weeks. If I don't update or anything, there will always be a note in the latest chapter telling you why. I'll try to update before things get super busy.

 **RECAP FROM CHAPTER 2:  
** Eri's day started off with a bang and no alarm. Yuzuki took new transfer student Hanazono Sofia from Greece, who reminds her of someone from her Hyoutei days, on a tour around Rikkai. And someone left a note requesting Eri to meet them at the rooftop. Let's see what more chaos does Rikkai has from fate!

* * *

"You sure you don't want to come with us, Aki?" Eri asked over the door of class 3-A. The brunette, who was on cleaning duty, shook her head. She had decided to tag along with her friend hours ago, because she was extremely curious as the next person behind her about who had placed a note in her friend's shoe locker. All types of speculations were running around in her mind and she barely could even focus on Hirano-sensei's lecture on the siege of Osaka earlier because of it.

The only thing now that was preventing her to conclude them was cleaning duties. All of a sudden, those who were supposed to be on cleaning duties are urgent meetings that were unavoidable, leaning Aki, her sister-in-law and a few other students, who were supposed to have their duties on different days, to clean up. The ones who were supposed to do those tasks promised to take their turns as compensations, but the third-year student didn't mind. Plus, she wasn't the type of person who'd ditch an assigned task just for her own benefit. The senior might as well forget about satisfying her curiosity then.

"It's fine. Do you want me and Miko-chan to wait for you?"

"Nah," It was Eri's turn to shake her head. "Furuya-chan told me that she needs to see me about the girls' team's clubhouse. Apparently, there is one empty place near the boys'. You girls go ahead if I'm taking too much of your time. See ya!"

The blonde ran off to the nearest set of stairs, her steps echoed throughout the semi-empty hallways. Aki guessed that she was heading to the rooftop. Turning towards where the classroom's windows were, her gaze landed on a strawberry blonde-haired girl, who was diligently wiping the windows. The dusts that formed on the lenses of her glasses were ignored. The curvy-looking senior waited until her classmate had finally got off the chair that she stood on and quietly approached her.

"Hey." Had Ginoza Mikoto not been closely acquainted with Aki, she might have quite a surprise from just a simple greeting. No one knew how Aki does it, but she can be 'invisible' and make her presence undetected to others. But she simply turned around to look over her shoulder, a neutral expression on her face, and nodded. "Hey to yourself."

"Look, Miko, I just want to say that…" With hands that are busy twisting the water out of the cleaning rag, Mikoto turned her lavender-coloured eyes towards her sister-in-law. "That I'm proud of you making your own decision."

What came out of the other girl's mouth caught the brunette completely off-guard. "What do you mean?"

At first, she thought that her sister-in-law had been tired and had forgotten about the sign-up. Hours of Japanese history and literature lessons can take a toll on one's energy after all. Mikoto was also a girl who'd pay attention to the lectures and taking notes instead of having her mind wander off to Wonderland. "I mean, it's great that you're finally deciding to join something on your own, the tennis team I mean."

"What? Aki, I didn't sign up for anything." For a moment, there was an awkward silence between. Now Aki was a person who would deal with this type of silence very well. But at that moment, it happened while having a conversation with someone that rarely made her feel embarrassed. She could feel the awkwardness increasing by tenfold.

"If you didn't sign your name there, then who…?"

 **~XoX~**

"Done." With a satisfied sigh, Mayu placed her pen's cap back on. Her grey eyes looked at the writings of her name with pride glinting in them. Above it was Makoto's rather messy writing of her own name.

"Done hogging the board, Tachibana? Some of us are _waiting_." Upon hearing the voice that Makoto was too familiar with, the girl couldn't hold back the urge to scrunch up her face with a disgusted expression. The black-haired sophomore hurriedly moved away and stepped aside from the board, mumbling a quick apology. Seeing this, the rowdy-looking sophomore rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"I should ask you the same about the girls' toilet mirror, Sumeragi." She scoffed. That had made the senior's sharp hazel eyes to clash with her own amber ones. Compared to Makoto herself, not a single person in Rikkai was terrified of Sumeragi Noriko. From her rose gold hair that always never fails to look neat to the almost natural pink blushes on her cheeks, even Makoto herself wouldn't deny that Sumeragi would have passed so easily as a fairy on Halloween.

The orange-haired girl also thought the senior was also the founder of the phrase 'looks can be deceiving' because the girl plays her game so damn well. Then again, almost everyone in Rikkai is the human embodiments of the said phrase. Yukimura, for example, was said to be prettier than a girl by Makoto, but one day, she had watched him play from the rooftops of the school. As soon as the blue-haired captain stepped onto the courts and picked up a racquet, the amber-eyed girl remembered how she only felt like breathing when the first game had ended.

But there were some who weren't human in sheep's clothing. There was Mayu, who look like she couldn't barely swat a fly dead and definitely acts like it, and then there was Jackal.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Makoto saw someone with sea-coloured hair walking away from the board and turned to a corner, disappearing from her view. Her guts did somersaults and flips. Pushing the rose gold-haired senior, she frantically scanned the form. Her breathing was uneven, her throat felt like it needs a lifetime amount of water and she felt aching all over her joints. When her eyes landed on a name below two recent names, the world around her suddenly felt like spinning at top speed.

"M-Mako-chan, is something wrong?"

"Shit." The black-haired sophomore heard the other girl cursing through gritted teeth. Normally, Mayu would chide her because of her language, but at this point, her friend look like she was chased by something life-threatening that she didn't dare to do so. Her stormy eyes took one look towards the sign-up form and onto the name that Makoto's eyes were focused on.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sumeragi growled, and turned to the board. Her two unfavourable underclassmen were focusing on one name. A name that everyone knew strikes different of emotions in people's guts.

 _Ayase Keiko, 2-B._

 **~XoX~**

"Ayase-san." Yuzuki watched as the fishtail-braid girl turned around. Her icy-looking eyes look like if she's glaring harshly towards her.

"I did what you wanted," Just like the blue in her eyes, the tone of her voice was cold and harsh, like winter's ice. Ayase's hair was a flurry of sea-like colours. Mint green and ocean blue were dyed in a style that reminds her of the waves, going well with her ghostly pale skin tone. The principal's granddaughter could feel chills crawling up on her back as she spoke.

"So leave me the hell alone now, Furuya."

Ayase was the only person who did not bother to use suffix whenever she refers others with their names. The girl seemed apathetic about it too, as far as what Yuzuki had witnessed. The ombre styled-hair sophomore watched as the Ice Queen-like classmate of hers turned around and walked out of the school's building. She patiently waited until the girl was far from hearing her whisper, "That would be most unlikely."

 **~XoX~**

For the umpteenth time of the day, Eri turned to look over the tennis court and her watch. There were speculations of who on Earth had decided to place a note requesting her to be on the rooftop after school and had the guts to be late. Then again, her expectations were shoujo manga-like. The blonde captain-to-be knew that those situations, where a male student waiting for her on the rooftop, wouldn't happen in real life, even if there are theories of some mangas being based on true stories. Those were just plain hoaxes that had tricked inexperienced youngsters about love.

Her daylight reverie came to a halt when she heard the door being pulled open, turning around to see who it is. "… Asami?"

"Ta-daa!"

"… You know, if you want to talk about something, you could've just asked." The blue-eyed girl isn't angry, but she wasn't happy with Asami's antics either. Her cheery classmate flashed an apologetic smiling, rubbing the back of her head.

"Sorry, sorry… but it's really not me who wants to see you." That made her to raise an eyebrow. "I merely helped them. Come on out ladies! She doesn't bite!"

 _Them?_ Eri craned her neck over Asami's shoulder. Sure enough, she could hear distant whispers by the door on who should go first. After hearing more intense bickering, someone with hair that was a tamer version of Asami's curls stumbled out from where the door was. They got on their feet and managed to balance themselves quite easily, as Eri would have guessed that the push they got from the other person wasn't that hard.

"Sorry, Suzu, but sometimes, you just need a little push forward. Hah, pun." Emerging out from the doorway was a petite-looking brunette, whose hair reminds Eri of milk-chocolate. Her medium brown eyes twinkled youthfully. 'Suzu', on the other hand, was notably tinier and thinner than the other girl. Her hair was of a dark bluish colour and she had eyes that had a lighter shade than her friend's, almost similar to the other girl's hair.

"Eri, meet Yukimura Suzuran and Yagyuu Hanayo," Asami introduced. "Your new managers, including moi~"

Both of them definitely didn't look completely like their brothers, but Eri could see some resemblances in the shape of their jaws and faces. Furthermore, she knew that she had seen someone with Suzuran's hair colour. No wonder it looks awfully familiar.

"Wait, what do you mean 'including you'?" The curly-haired third-year flashed one of her usual grins.

"Well, I actually did plan to join you girls in the team, just like the good old times," The platinum blonde senior noticed that her emerald eyes glint with nostalgia. "But then you suddenly had that plan and I thought that maybe I should give space for it."

"You're not mad, are you?" Behind them, the first-years turned to look at each other. Both of them had a clear facial expression of confusion on what their upperclassmen were discussing about. We'll find out soon, Hanayo simply thought.

"No, not at all!" Asami answered, taking her friend's hands into hers. "Because it's a wonderful plan, I'm giving you the opportunity for it. Besides…" She turned to their underclassmen. "These two will need their precious senpai to help them around."

"She did not just say 'their precious senpai', did she?! Senpai noticed us, Suzu!" The two older girls laughed at Hanayo's antics. Even Eri herself, a person who'd think that the childishness of a person meant that they're still inexperienced, couldn't help but smile at it. There was something about Hanayo that just makes her not to have that sort of perspective.

'This might not be such a bad idea,' she thought. Slowly slipping her hands out of Asami, she took one deep breath and inhaled, attracting the other three girls' attention. Turning her head up, she put on a steely stare towards the first years. "Yukimura Suzuran, Yagyuu Hanayo…"

With just mentioning their names, both of them turned towards her like soldiers to their superiors. Brown eyes twinkled with anticipation. "Y-Yes!?"

They could feel their breaths hitching up to their throats, causing an imaginary fat lump to form, when their platinum blonde-haired senior flashed a coy-looking smirk. "Welcome to the tennis club."

At that moment, the fat lumps disappeared. It was like someone decided to drop a quiet bomb between them. They could hear their erratic hearts beating, their own breathing and Sanada's shouting from below in the silence.

"Oh my god!" The petite brunette's squeals were the first thing that broke the silence that was soon followed by her friend's and their laughter as they both shared a tight embrace, jumping on their feet with glee. The seniors could feel joy radiating from them, unable to contain their urges to smile at it. Far from where they stood, eyes with the colour of the night skies watched them from the staff's building's hallway.

"You girls are quite interesting," the beholder whispers, their lips curved into their own kind of amusement. "I wonder what else does fate has in-store for us."

 **~XoX~**

"Hope you don't mind the mess, Eri-senpai. I didn't have time to clean it up." Curiously, Eri peeked her head into the dark clubhouse with her newly recruited managers behind. It was just like what Yuzuki said, the place was a mess. The lockers had inhabited cobwebs and dust, there were a few rolled, bunched up papers in the dustbin along with other things that they didn't want to know, and the girls swore that they saw a rat or two crawling around on the floor that they aborted their plan to step foot into the tiny house-like building. Not a big one indeed, but still considered a mess by normal standards.

"I can ask for someone to clean it up by tomorrow." Yuzuki suggested, looking clearly embarrassed and scared at the same time. She had the common girl fear towards crawling creatures and the clubhouse being the habitat for those things weren't helping her either. Although a bit agitated, the blonde senior nodded her thanks and turned towards the empty eight tennis courts.

'Tomorrow starts it all,' she thought, her hands on her hips and a proud smirk on her face. For once, she was excited and wants tomorrow to come faster than usual.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

And that was Chapter 3~ Hope you guys enjoyed reading it! There's a few more OCs that will play major roles in the fic and haven't been introduced, but they'll make an appearance soon during the sign-up matches! I'll put up a list of OCs in the next chapter.

Thank you and have a nice day. Please leave a review about what you think of the fic so far.

 **Chapter 4 preview: Tennis action starts and unexpected guests arrived at Rikkai.**

 _ **-Lots of Love, Mori.**_


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